Aloha Means Hello and Good-Bye

Ryan Wesner

09/05/2003

That was fast. Tony McGee has come and gone, and no one is happier than training camp casualty Daniel Wilcox. Wilcox was cut because at the time the Bucs were set at tight end, and falling in love with rookie Will Heller. That left little room for Wilcox who is more of a blocker than a pass catcher, the type of player Heller was supposed to be.

The Bucs were scraping the bottom of the barrel when they signed Tony McGee so fans are indifferent regarding the news of his release. The real question is: where do the Bucs stand now at tight end?

Ken Dilger is an all-pro who will be able to pick up some of the slack created by the loss of Rickey Dudley. The situation actually puts Dilger in a position to be more of a factor because he will see more passes coming his way. Fantasy players should recognize this and pick him up if they are in a deep league with a middle of the road tight end.

Todd Yoder continues to display toughness coming back from his knee sprain sooner than expected. Yoder is an under rated pass-catcher, and can relieve some of the pressure put on Dilger. Training camp spectators can attest to Yoder's pass catching ability having made several catches in the back of the end zone during two-a-days. He has a knack for getting lost in the secondary on drag routes on rollout passes in short yardage situations. Look for him in the back of the end zone Monday night.

Will Heller is the feel good story of the year, now that Fabian Davis is on the practice squad. Heller will not sneak up on anyone this year due to his stellar pre-season performance. His real strength is still lies in his ability to block, and he should see playing time doing just that against Philadelphia. Don't count Heller out as a pass catcher though, he has proven he can make catches so far; but it remains to be seen if the Bucs will go to him now that the games count.

The most recent addition to the Bucs' roster, Daniel Wilcox, will most likely see action on special teams. His best attribute However, is his familiarity with the Buccaneers' system. The ice under his feet is quite thin so he had better make the best of his limited reps. If not Bucs fans will be bidding aloha to another tight end.